The BBC's John Pienaar reports"There will also be guidance on how to tackle homophobic bullying" real 28kThe BBC's John Pienaar analyses the move"It may not be enough to placate the government's opponents" real 28kStuart Bell"It was not in the manifesto." real 28kGlenda Jackson"Why should homosexuality be excluded in sex education?" real 28k

Friday, 28 January, 2000, 12:00 GMT
Teachers to get gay guidelines

Teachers will be urged to preach tolerance towards homosexuals

Ministers have reiterated that schools across England and Wales are being sent new guidelines, urging teachers to instruct pupils about the importance of marriage and family life.

The government has issued the reminder because of concerns expressed by church leaders about plans to repeal Section 28 of the Local Government Bill, which bans the promotion of homosexuality.

Ministers are keen to scrap the clause but many parents, backed by religious groups and the Conservative Party, are against it.

Some Labour MPs also oppose it and the BBC's political correspondent, John Pienaar, says it is the fear of a backbench rebellion which has persuaded the government to seek a compromise.

The Department for Education says it is compiling guidance to schools to ensure they tell pupils about the importance of marriage and family life.

This is not new: the proposal was a response to the misgivings about sex education in last year's report on Britain's teenage pregnancy problem. The guidelines are due to be published in the spring.

Broader context

The department said in a statement: "There is no intention for the new guidance to be a vehicle for the deliberate promotion of any sexual orientation.

"The guidance will set sex and relationships education within a broader base of self-esteem, respect and responsiblity."

Union leaders have again complained that the guidelines - and others relating to the national curriculum - are too inflexible.

In response to the department's statement, the general secretary of the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, Nigel de Gruchy, said the last thing schools needed was more paperwork - the government was only doing this because it was embarrassed.

"Most parents are full of common sense, so are teachers, so are governors," he said.

"It is already the law of the land that sex education in schools has to be approved by the governing body.

"I don't see why we can't rely upon the common sense of teachers and headteachers and governing bodies.

"That allows some local flexibility to take account of different communities and there should be no need for this massive, bureaucratic addition to national guidelines."

Conscience vote

MPs are expected to debate a repeal of Section 28 later in the year.

Labour MP Stuart Bell, among the fiercest critics of the government's decision to repeal Section 28, has been among those calling for a conscience vote.

Section 28 bans the promotion of homosexuality

Mr Bell, a church commissioner, said: "It was not in the manifesto, we did not fight the General Election on repeal of Section 28.

"What we are talking about here is children, their childhood, their education, their life expectancies, and it's wrong to put this burden on them, of their sexual orientation, when they are at school."

But Glenda Jackson, one of Labour's candidates for London mayor, welcomed the government's decision to impose a whip on the vote.

She told the BBC: "This has been party policy, quite apart from government policy, ever since this particularly obnoxious little clause was introduced by the Conservatives in 1988."

Ms Jackson has joined four other London mayoral candidates in a letter to The Times newspaper, calling for a repeal of the legislation.